Ghrelin modulation of reward mechanisms

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Animals including humans eat not only because they are hungry, but also because experience with certain foods is particularly pleasurable. In this case, these foods are over-consumed in spite of containing more calories than those used for energy on a given day. Ghrelin, a hormone produced by the stomach, is also one that seems to promote the over-consumption of these kinds of food through the stimulation of dopamine cells associated with reward mechanisms in the brain. In the current proposal, we propose studies to determine the mechanisms by which ghrelin modulates reward processes to promote food intake, and potentially behaviors associated with other stimuli that are rewarding including sex and the intake of drugs of abuse. Furthermore, the proposed work will promote innovative approaches to modulate the secretion of this hormone, and the interaction between ghrelin receptor activation, and that of other neurotransmitter receptors as a means to understand how it influences the brain to increase reward seeking behaviors. To do this, we will use a combination of behavioral, molecular and genetic techniques and transgenic models that allow for the determination of ghrelin function in specific sets of cells within the brain.